Daily Devotional For Sunday, August 10, 2025
Good morning Southside! It is Sunday. Let’s all get dressed and go worship our great and wonderful God with other Christians. Psalm 100 says this:
“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! (2) Worship the Lord with gladness.Come before Him, singing with joy. (3) Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of his pasture. (4) Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. (5) For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever,and His faithfulness continues to each generation” (NLT).
We worship God because He deserves it. We worship with others to remind ourselves that worship does not occur in a vacuum. We worship with others to remind ourselves we are not the only one God has redeemed. There is coming a day when every saint and redeemed person will gather around the great white throne of God and in one voice join His angels in praising Him. I hope your faith is not built upon any preacher, church, or denomination. As thankful as I am for God’s servants and buildings to worship in, preachers will live and die. Church buildings will rise and crumble. Denominations will expand and decline.
But Jesus, the Son of God, our High Priest, is not like that. He is more alive today than when He was teaching, feeding the multitudes, or giving new life to people who had no hope. He is even more alive today than when He walked out of the tomb on Easter morning because He has been glorified by His Father. Even as you read this, Jesus is advocating for us with His Father. The challenges to our faith are real, and they are growing. But let’s remember Jesus and everything He has done—and continues to do—for us. Let’s keep that so fresh in our minds that we will never hesitate to stand up and claim Him as our Lord and King.
This is why we must listen to the words of Hebrews 7:23-25:
“There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. (24) But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. (25) Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf” (NLT).
The first century Jewish historian Josephus estimated that eighty-three high priests served Israel from the first high priest, Aaron, to the fall of the second temple in a.d. 70. Each served in his job, and each eventually died. But Jesus lives forever. This means in time every high priest had to eventually hand off his role to another either due to age, illness or death. But Jesus, our High Priest, never will have to do that. Jesus is our permanent High Priest for all generations. But, are there priests today? Well, to some there are.
Jesus has a permanent priesthood. He should be everyone’s ultimate authority for spiritual life, but unfortunately, in our culture, that is not the case. Today, many people have advisers and counselors whom they elevate almost to the role of priest. People look to people in every field to be their “priest”: people such as doctors, political leaders, lawyers, financial counselors for example. They hope these people will provide hope to them of a long life and security against all disasters and unforeseen catastrophes. Some turn to friends, and even celebrities before they go to God’s Word and listen to the words of Jesus. Jesus is our eternal Intercessor for all of life.
The writer of Hebrews explained again that the Old Testament system has been superseded by a full and final sacrifice. Not only is Jesus a suitable High Priest because he has an indestructible life, but he has certain other characteristics that show him as the High Priest who meets our needs; that is, a High Priest who could truly save us. Hebrews 7:26-27 says:
“Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (27) Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered himself” (NIV).
Jesus is our eternal Intercessor for all of life. New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton gives the reasons why Jesus qualifies to do this (Source: Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary, “Hebrews,” pp. 107-108).
- holy, meaning that Jesus knew no sin. Jesus perfectly fulfilled all that God is and all that God required in a high priest who would bring salvation to sinful people (see Hebrews 4:15).
- blameless, meaning He is without evil and is completely innocent. During his earthly life, even as He faced temptation, Jesus remained completely obedient to God and completely without sin (see James 1:27).
- pure—that is, He remains undefiled even as He deals with sinful people in a defiled world (see 1 Peter 1:3-4).
- set apart from sinners because Jesus’ sinless life separates Him from sinful creation. Yet it was only through his separation by his sinlessness that he could act on our behalf.
- exalted above the heavens. He is greater than any other high priest because He represents people in the very throne room of God.
So, what does this mean for all of us?
- Every single person is separated from God due to their sin and therefore under judgment by God for their sin. See John 3:17-21 and John 3:36. Other New Testament verses affirm this as well: see Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and Hebrews 9:27.
- Jesus affirmed He is the solution to our sin. See John 5:24.
- Many if not most people attempt to reach God by building their own bridge to Him. See John 1:12-13. We cannot do that through our own works or actions (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Not only is Jesus the solution for our sin, He is the only solution. See John 14:6. Jesus said only God can save us and He was God in human flesh. See John 1:14. Jesus was the sacrificial unblemished lamb of God for us (see John 1:36. He is the Bread of Life for us (see John 6:51). He chose to die for us while we were still sinners (see Romans 5:8) and He rose from the grave (see Luke 24:5-7 and John 11:25).
- Jesus asks us to respond to His message and believe it (see John 5:24) and when we do, we are born of the spirit (see John 3:3). And if we believe in Him, we will be saved (John 3:16) and Romans 10:13.
Assignment: Many, if not most people, consider themselves a “good” person compared to the murderer, the pedophile or rapist. The Bible is clear there has never been a person other than Jesus who was good (see Romans 3:10, Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3. Do you ever consider yourself a good person? How does this measure up to what God says about our goodness? Do you ever compare yourself to other “sinners” and think, “Well, at least I am not as bad as them”? What do you think God would say to you about this?
Scripture To Meditate On: Colossians 3:1, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, thank You for the great hope I have knowing that my Lord and Savior is alive, involved, and engaged with His Church. Jesus is my greatest reality, and I know He is at work within me, helping me live in the abundance He has paid the price to provide. May my life on Earth bring Him continual glory. Please forgive me when I get a big head about myself through comparing my sins to the sins of others. Please forgive me for my pride. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly